red velvet cake

This gluten free, dairy free and sugar free cake is made mainly from beetroots and spiced up a little with ground ginger. It looks amazing and it is a good way to have one of your five vegs a day in a cake format. In Chinese Medicine Dietary beetroot are very good for the Heart and to build Blood and eggs are also good for nourishing the Yin energy which is the moistening energy in the body.

Preparation & cooking time: 2hrs (if need to cook beetroot) or 1 hr (if using already cooked beetroot)

Ingredients for a 20cm round cake/6 portions

300gr beetroots- you can use already cooked beetroot as well (not in vinegar!!)

5 tbsp sunflower oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

30gr xylitol

15gr stevia

1tsp baking powder

100gr self raising gluten free flour

1tsp white vinegar

1tsp ground ginger powder

For topping:

200gr strawberry coconut yoghurt or a very thick consistency dairy yoghurt

Method

1. Preheat oven at 350/175 celsius
2. Cut the beetroot into quarters and put into a saucepan with the water.
3. Simmer gently for about an hour until cooked.
4. Remove from the heat, drain off all the liquid & allow to cool.
5. Puree the cold beetroot.
6. Beat the oil and vanilla into the puree.
7. In another bowl beat the egg and sugar until light and fluffy.
8. Beat in the beetroot mixture.
9. Mix together the flour, ground ginger and baking powder and beat this in.
10. Stir in the vinegar.
11. Grease and line a 20cm/8” round cake tin lined with oil and greaseproof paper
12. Bake in a pre heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until when you insert a skewer in the middle it comes out clean
13. Cool the sponge on a wire rack.
14. Once cool, either pipe or spread the strawberry yoghurt on top.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE PER PORTION
energy kcal	234.7
fat	14.2
of which saturated	1.7
carbohydrates	22.4
of which sugars	4.6
fibre	1.4
protein	13.5
salt	0.5